Mead Elementary Charter School students told city officials what they wanted in a splash pad.

WISCONSIN RAPIDS - Two dozen elementary students visited City Hall, sat in council members’ chairs and looked over the tables, barely clearing their height. The students met with city officials at the end of February to share what they wanted to see in a splash pad this summer at Mead Field.

Mead Elementary Charter School students liked the examples that had more bright colors and interactive features that encouraged learning and games. Children in kindergarten through fifth grade saw different examples of splash pads and drew their ideas for a park for all ages and families to enjoy throughout the summer months. Students picked their favorite themes from examples including nature, ocean, wilderness, pond, urban and water journey.

Madison Graf, 9, is in fourth grade. She said her favorite splash pad theme was the ocean. She is excited for the splash pad to open and “that all of us can go to it for free,” Graf said.

Matt Freeby, a consultant with Water Technology described some features that can entertain people of all ages. Kids can learn about water channels, dams, and how water flows through runnels through activities at one end of the splash pad, while children and families play around water spraying features. At another section, people can play with water cannons.

A larger, regional outdoor aquatics facility will be built at Witter Field in 2018 or 2019, depending on fundraising efforts, Vruwink said.

Director of Public Works Joe Terry said the Mead Field splash pad will be designed in a way that will allow upgrades and new features to be added on later. He said the students were especially excited for a large spider or scorpion-shaped feature that sprays water, as kids play under and around it. Although the initial budget and construction won’t include that specific feature, it can be added in the future.

Vruwink said the plans include “safe swap” features, meaning features could be moved around within the splash pad, or even be switched and traded with other community splash pads with the same design structure. The splash pad could be redesigned and rearranged easily. Vruwink said kids would be less likely to get bored with the facility if it could be changed periodically.

“In this area here, is basically some water cannons that kids can spray at each other,” Freeby said. “But what we’ve made which is unique to this community (is) a fireman’s game. In other words, there’ll be a curb around here, and if you bring a small ball and put it in there, now you have a game of challenge, trying to spray the ball into your opponent’s goal. I’m excited about that — I’d play that game.”

The city will host another aquatics public meeting in April to present information on the future aquatics facility at Witter Field. For more information, visit wirapids.org or find City of Wisconsin Rapids on Facebook.

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Students at Mead Elementary Charter School designed their own splash pads andvvisited Wisconsin Rapids City Hall to talk about what they want to see in the city's new feature. Courtesy of city of Wisconsin Rapids

Students at Mead Elementary Charter School designed their own splash pads and visited Wisconsin Rapids City Hall to talk about what they want to see in the city's new feature. Courtesy of city of Wisconsin Rapids